Do my chins look big in this? Why Warne took two tablets

Shane Warne admitted last night he had taken a diuretic on more than one occasion - but claimed "it was to get rid of a double chin".

While Warne has made carefully worded statements that he had taken only "a fluid tablet", last night he confirmed a December 12 test had also revealed traces of the banned drug.

The champion cricketer again offered his mother Brigitte as the source but said it was the first time she had given him a tablet.

"In early December I was doing a lot of wine promotions... and I'd had a few couple too many bottles of wine and had a few late nights and I took a fluid tablet then ... when Mum told me. It was the first time she gave it to me ... it was to get rid of the double chin," he told Ray Martin on A Current Affair.

Warne's belated admission of a second use of a banned drug confirmed a report in the Herald last Wednesday. It also came as the Herald was intending to publish another report stating this, and that the 20-page findings of his drug case would be released by the Australian Cricket Board today.");document.write("

advertisement

");
}
}
// -->

Following last week's revelation of the second tablet, Warne's legal representatives sent a letter threatening defamation action if the Herald did not publish an apology.

The Herald stood by the story which Warne effectively confirmed in his television appearance last night.

Warne, who has been on Channel 9's payroll, was not asked by Martin why, in earlier public statements, he did not admit to using diuretics on more than one occasion. Warne said the December 12 drug test "showed small traces of the same thing [diuretics]".

The minor traces of the diuretic in Warne's December 12 sample were at insufficient levels to charge him with a positive drug test.

For this reason, it is believed the Australian Sports Drug Agency then targeted Warne for a follow-up test, which the agency did on January 21 - the day of Warne's media conference to announce he was to retire from one-day cricket to concentrate on his Test career.

From the follow-up January 21 test, the agency informed Warne he had tested positive to diuretics, which are banned worldwide because they are sometimes used to mask steroid use.

But Australia's leading wicket taker claimed that because the first drug test had been before he injured his shoulder on December 15 it proved "I didn't take the fluid tablet to mask anything".

So was he guilty of stupidity?, Martin asked.

"Stupid's a harsh word, Ray, I don't consider myself stupid. I consider myself probably very silly, should have checked ..."

When asked by Martin if he had attended various Australian Cricket Board seminars on drug education, Warne said: "You're told about drugs."

"Didn't you listen?", asked Martin. "No, I didn't. The same as when I was at school. I was always seeing the headmaster every week and he was practising his golf swing on my behind.

"Whether, rightly or wrongly, mate, whether you hate me, you like me, you love the way I play or whatever, the facts of the matter are that I don't read much, I don't take a lot of interest in the outside world ... I just play cricket ."

Warne conceded the drug ban would cost him between $2 million and $3 million. But he revealed he had been offered a cameo role in a movie.